I visited Blossoms Book House, my favorite bookstore in Bengaluru, today.
As always, I spent most of my time browsing the spirituality, philosophy, Yoga, and Ayurveda shelves. While I was absorbed in looking through the books, I overheard two young girls walking past say, "Oh, this is the mythology section."I looked up and noticed that the shelf containing the Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Shrimad Bhagavatam, and other Hindu scriptures was indeed labeled "Mythology." Right beside it, was a shelf with Christianity related books, appropriately labeled "Christianity."
While billing my books, I politely spoke to the owner.
"Sir, may I request something? I visit Blossoms often and buy many spiritual and religious books here. I noticed that the shelf containing scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, and Mahabharata is labeled 'Mythology.' Could you please consider renaming it 'Hinduism' or 'Sanatana Dharma'? For millions of people, these are sacred scriptures and not myths."
He simply replied, "Oh, okay, madam."
I thanked him and left.
Some may feel this is a small issue. But labels shape perception. When young readers repeatedly encounter our scriptures under the heading "Mythology," they may naturally assume that these texts belong to the realm of fiction rather than a living religious and philosophical tradition.
The word Itihasa itself literally means "thus indeed it happened" (iti-ha-asa). Whether one approaches the Ramayana and Mahabharata as history, sacred literature, or sources of philosophy, they occupy a central place in the Hindu tradition and deserve to be represented accordingly.
Bookstores are spaces of learning. The way knowledge is categorized influences how future generations understand different traditions. A simple change in a shelf label can be a small but meaningful step toward representing Hindu scriptures in a way that aligns with how the tradition understands itself.